Ah, so it seemed he was going to Twilight Falls. Eggpaw had no idea were -or what- that was. Obviously. But it would be interesting to learn, and it could give him an advantage in moons to come; to know about another Clan's territory.
The pale apprentice joined his patrol. Aand he was stuck with his mentor, Hawkbite. How fun for everyone. He gave the older cat a nod, and set off after the other cats.
It seemed to take moons for them to finally arrive at the Falls.
Eggpaw watched the WindClan leader rush into the darkness to draw out the minks. He respected her bravery, but- were there WindClan cats really gonna let such an old and feeble cat do that alone? In't my problem, he shrugged. All he had to do was survive the night and bring back a few mink pelts to prove his worth. "Can't we hurry up and fight already?" He muttered under his breath, claws tearing at the grass. He said it to sound like an impatient apprentice, eager for his first taste of battle and blood. He said it to hide how nervous he was. This wouldn't be like that event with the dogs, where he ran in at the end while it was distracted and gave it a few scratches. This was going to be an actual fight, where he would have to use every bit of his strength and skill to survive.
His body shook. Hopefully, he thought, it looked like anticipation, or at least from the night chill, and not with what it actually was. His stomach was in knots, but his eyes blazed. He did not regret coming here tonight. This was the fight that would earn him his warrior name.
Hawkfur
WindClan
he/him | 49 moons
[Russet tabby with tuxedo markings and sky blue eyes ] Purrks: Flock Together T3
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[Dawnstar - @Undertaker ] [Twilightstar - @Moonraven ]
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Hawkfur nodded to Twilightstar as she informed Dawnstar that he would lead her and her cats towards the Windy Hills, though internally he was freaking the hell out. Lead Dawnstar? The Dawnstar? Into their territory? It screamed against everything he had ever been taught. But he had confidence in Twilightstar, so he trained his blue gaze unflinchingly on the ShadowClan leader, giving her a nod of acknowledgement. She seemed to have her eyes trained on him as well, and he did his best not to squirm under her scrutiny.
Bravebird's call had him twisting, breaking eye contact with the Queen of Mean and meeting his friend's instead. He gave her a smile, eyes crinkling at the edges, before he returned his attention to Twilightstar.
As Dawnstar divied up her troops, Hawkfur padded off to the side so his patrol could gather around him. Once Dawnstar indicated she and hers were ready, he would take them to their fight.
| Dapplebreeze |
Agatha Kitty - Active | Silver Tongue - Active | Beefed Up [Tier 1] - Inactive
Silent as the higher ups spoke and plotted, the senior warrior's ears perked only when she realized that the deed was done. They were to begin their move. The patched warrior was admittedly not delighted in her position in this patrol, much preferring if she could have remained protecting her leader. She was far more partial to the idea of being able to keep to Twilightstar's side in case something dreadful happened... like a backstab from the ShadowClanners. She would not question the leader on this, however. She trusted the lilac she-cat to know best in this regard.
Dapplebreeze was perhaps a bit less eager to trust her leader, however, when she gave the rat's leader the choice of taking their own medicine cat with her. Surely it couldn't be wise to give the colossal tabby access to their own healer? What if she decided to turn on Lightningstorm and kill her after it was all said and done? Oh... she could feel herself growing tense, and it took everything in her power to not have her hackles raise as the toad dared to pick the calico to go along with her. Suddenly, going along with Dawnstar's entourage was a much more pressing matter. She trusted the leader to be able to fight off the advances of any traitorous swamp dwellers than the medicine cat. She hadn't had any combat training after all. Perhaps someone should fix that in the future... If only she could approach her. Get her to trust someone enough to make herself vulnerable enough to be attacked yet not believe her life was truly at risk. WindClan had certainly done a number on her trust, and the senior warrior couldn't help but wonder if they would ever be able to repair that sundered gap.
Stepping forward and joining Hawkfur, she dipped her head at the newly appointed fury - a rank the lieutenant was still rather unused to in the first place - ready for command. The leader had appointed him as the head of this patrol, and the former queen had never been so overly proud that she could not take commands from a younger feline. He had proven himself in combat by surviving the first wave of minks when they had been an unknown. And with her own daughter chosen to stand by the medicine cat during this battle - an excellent choice considering who they would be accompanied by - the young tom seemed a proper choice to lead them towards victory. Quietly, her fur seemingly buzzing with the anticipation of what was to come, she awaited, unwilling to spend more energy than needed before the inevitable explosion of fur and blood.
In the end it seemed her and Lightningstorm would be going with Dawnstar, and Bravebird didn't bother hiding the disgust she felt at it. Instinctively she stepped closer to Lightningstorm, narrowing her eyes and taking a small step forward as if she expected any of these toads to attack right away. Yeah, she wouldn't let any of them get a single scrape in - they'd be dead before they moved an inch. She briefly flicked an ear of acknowledgement to Leechscar, grateful that he would be one of the cats helping them. Bearpelt was nowhere to be seen. "If any of them try anything," she murmured to the healer beside her, her voice low, "I've got your back. I may not be your favorite cat but..." Lifting her blue eyes to look at Lightningstorm, she added, "...you're WindClan, and you're a damn good healer. Cowtuft... would be proud."
Something squeezed her heart tightly as she watched the medicine cat's face. There was more she wanted to say, but in this moment with how fast everything was about to get moving, Bravebird knew she wouldn't have time. Instead she just offered a small, subtle dip of her head, then let her gaze flicker across their patrol. A good sized group of cats; the minks wouldn't stand a chance.
Picking up her herb bundle that she'd carried out here at Lightningstorm's side, Brave trotted close to the healer, blue eyes darting around. Hawkfur would be with them, which was good. Warmsun's words had her snorting through her nose, a rush of exhale pushing through. Dapplebreeze was also on this patrol, which made her feel a bit of relief. She would be able to keep an eye on the few cats she had left - knowing full well that both Twilightstar and Crowtooth could handle themselves against the minks and ShadowClan. Still though a bit of worry gripped her heart, and she sent a silent prayer to the stars above that everyone would come out of this alive.
| Lightningstorm |
Flock Together [Tier 3] - Inactive | Mind Reader - Active
Lightningstorm blinked, surprised by the tabby's choice. She couldn't imagine a single cat in her clan picking her over any other healer, despite her expertise on the battlefield. It felt almost like her entire apprentice had been dealt with in some form of fight, whether against nature or the clans. Despite her shock, however, the spotted lass was able to keep her composure in front of the clans. Realistically it mattered little to her with which leader she was tasked to work with. She would be saving cats from both clans regardless. Maybe it was best this way. No one would be able to blame ShadowClan deaths on Twilightstar with this setup. No potential for bias when the medicine cat apprentice she was teamed up with was a ShadowClanner himself.
She only half heard Bravebird as she kept an eye out on the crowd for the two other warriors that would be slowing her down... or helping her heal the wounded. She hadn't decided which side she assumed they would be on, but at the very least she could spot Mothcloud walking towards them. Or at least... the cat she assumed was Mothcloud. Stars, her lack of sleep was definitely playing with her mind. For some reason she really couldn't recall having seen this cat at all prior to this. Bearpelt, on the other paw, was nowhere in sight, a fact she momentarily forgot as she suddenly registered what the lynx point besides her had just mewed.
Brows raised high on her forehead, Lightningstorm was for once at a loss for words. Had anyone ever told her that Bravebird would be offering anything even remotely close to a compliment to her, she might have told Twilightstar she needed to keep that cat in observation overnight for fear some horrid fever had made them delusional. Even when there had been a moment in time when the two might have been friends, the calico knew the warrior was blunt and much like Firestorm, keen on acting before thinking half the time. Compliments required thinking. Certainly more thinking than she gave a cat who came back from herb picking with a face full of quills credit of being capable of. It was also a situation she simply never found herself in. WindClan cats didn't really compliment her. Or thank her. Or do much outside of telling her what was wrong with them and glare while she healed them. Or apologized for not going to her sooner. It was unknown territory, and the lithe calico found herself uncertain of how to handle it.
"Careful love. I might start getting the wrong idea here and think you may just care."
Allowing herself a smug smirk, Lightningstorm tilted her head teasingly at the fury, going with her usual, instinctual reaction in situations where she was dealing with an unprecedented scenario she hadn't the foggiest how the navigate. She annoyed. It was an easy way to have Bravebird potentially take back what good will she had tossed her way, and the healer could go back to focusing on her job without having to deal with... whatever it was she wasn't equipped to handle. Not the best way of making friends, no doubt, but then... she wasn't meant to make friends in her clan. The vocal majority had been pretty clear about that.
"I see Mothcloud is already here. Good," she mewed, nodding appreciatively at the warrior before turning her head to the gathered cats. "Bearpelt! You're with me! I'm not calling you twice!"
The calico's voice had rang above the din of voices murmuring amongst themselves, not bothering to keep her eyes on the crowd. She needed reliable cats if she was going to be forced to wait on them to bring her any cats in dire need of being patched up. Only emergencies would be handled in combat. Anyone whose life wasn't on the line could wait until they got back to the comparable safety of the camp. Which meant she needed cats she could count on to order towards a potential patient before she felt herself compelled to go out and take care of said injured feline herself.
Stepping forward to join the patrol headed for Windy Hills, she paused for only a moment, nodding at the ShadowClan leader, her head dipping lower than usual in the small bow she normally reserved only for the WindClan leader. If they were going to be working together, then they would at least have to trust each other to keep each other safe. She knew Bravebird didn't trust Dawnstar. She'd not been particularly shy at hiding her disgust. But Lightningstorm's reality remained the same. She trusted WindClanners to kill her on a whim on a daily basis. At least the ShadowClanners would have a tactical reason to eliminate her if they so decided to turn on them. It would be a far more sensible death than to go down on account of some arsehole deciding an inevitable death was her fault before they ripped her to pieces.
| Silverlark |
Shadow Fiend - Inactive | Just a Scratch - Inactive | Beefed Up [Tier 3] - Inactive
The muscular tom was far enough back that he couldn't quite make out what the leaders were saying, but he was alright with that. As far as he was concerned, he wasn't the big planner type. He was the go kill that sort. Which was a lucky thing, because from the murmurs going about, the gray tom was starting to understand that there were a lot of things to kill. Whoa, those minks must be a really, really big problem. Good thing that both of the clans were working together to take care of them, then, yep! They would give those nasties a good ol' one two and send them flying straight to the moon!
Rounded ears perking up as Dawnstar's voice commanded attention, the tom grinned with glee as patrols were divided. Looked like he was going to be paired up with Twilightstar at Twilight Falls - hey hey, they had the same name, what were the odds - in Lynxshade's patrol. He didn't really have a good sense of Lynxshade. He'd tried to work together with her before, and she made a lot of big plans, but the tom didn't really know what to make of most of them. Mostly because he didn't understand them all too well. Oops. Regardless, he trusted Dawnstar, so if she thought Lynxshade was a better patrol leader than Hawkbite, she was probably right. Maybe... maybe it had to do with those rumors. The ones of Hawkbite and Mistlewhisker speaking against the leader? All he really knew was that Yellowtwist was somehow involved, and that made him nervous... because Yellowtwist was a traitorous cat... Always had been.
Shaking his head in an attempt to clear it, Silverlark let go of his misgivings with ease. They were here for a job, and the muscular warrior was always eager to do his best no matter the task. If it happened to be something he excelled at? Even better! Plus, today was a learning experience, too! With any luck, he would gain some combat knowledge to teach Flashie, his star apprentice, heh heh! He'd have to make sure to get as much information on these beasties as he could to teach her when he got back, mmmhmm.
| Open |
__________________
Lightningstorm is WindClan's current medicine cat.
She has a semi-closed den policy.
Deadoon listened relatively impassively as Twilightstar rattled off the instructions for where different groups would be going, and what the groups would be. There was some finagling with which medicine cat would go where, for some reason Dawnstar wanted Lightningstorm? but once that was sorted out it seemed as though everything was set. They had yet to head out (the sooner that happened the better probably, Wolffang seemed to have found himself in a brief tete a tete with a Shadowclan warrior) but Deadmoon made her way towards Hawkfur and her brother anyway. It was nice to be with him, if only for the knowledge that she would know what was happening with him in real time.
He would be fine. Deadmoon should really be more concerned about herself, as unaccomplished in battle as she was. Wolffang was far more likely to be saving than needing to be saved. He was going to be completely, totally, wholly safe. This was evidenced by the fact that he was given an apprentice to be responsible for. Twilightstar trusted him, so she should too. But.....Deadmoon was still concerned. Rationality wasn't a familiar concept to her, and all she could think about was Wolffang being dead, at the paws of a fox, trying to protect others. The minks...they had no honor. They might not be as dangerous as a cat individually, but there were many of them and they didn't care.
It was only fair, she supposed with an ounce of detachment all too common when she was in her rambling thoughts, it was only fair of the minks and foxes to try and kill them. They were here for the purpose of their indiscriminate extermination, after all. However that was only because the minks were causing problems. But they weren't flat-out trying to kill all of them. This sort of ethical conundrum was fully unwarriorlike, and she did her best to eliminate it from her head. The minks weren't even cats. What did it matter? They ate rabbits and mice and such all the time, though they did so more....respectfully she supposed. They thanked Starclan for the prey, and wouldn't gloat the way they would once the minks were defeated. Ugh. Stupid brain giving her unhelpful things to think about. Deadmoon returned to the present, with cats milling all about, just in time to look up into the face of Pipsqueak.
__________________
All hail the Rat Queen's!!
Shrewstep has Silver Tongue and Mind Reader purrks
Pit has Just a Scratch and Beefed Up Tier 2
Ugh. Shrewstep had few opinions and even fewer ounces of brainpower to expend on the contents of his patrol. Or at least so he had thought. Alas, it seemed Starclan or whoever was up there, had deigned to annoy him in the strangest of ways. He was stuck with that weird Windclan warrior, Dead something or other. He didn't know her suffix, didn't really care. The prefix was enough to distinguish her from the crowd, as was that front paw she dragged around. How she caught rabbits he'd never understand. She hadn't impressed him as much better at fighting, though he supposed on the one occasion they'd been in the same battle she hadn't perished immediately. He had been somewhat distracted trying to keep what he later learned to be her half-brother away from then Rookpaw, but that was another matter.
That was what made him a bit.....disquieted about Deadwhatever. She had been oddly friendly with Marigoldpaw, who had first introduced them before disappearing, and then with his adopted niece? He didn't know how to define what he and Rookscreech had been to each other, considering they were each adopted into that weird mess of sort of family. No blood relations to speak of, that was for certain, despite the care he had had for her. He hadn't done well enough as an adult figure in her life clearly, given her disappearance and repeated sadness, but he had tried as much as he knew how. His own limit to adult guidance had been Driftstep, gone too soon, and Blackhaze, not too much older than him.
So yes, Deadwhatsherface didn't sit well with him. But Shrewstep wasn't the type to avoid things that made him uncomfortable (except Dawnstar), oh no. He marched right over to her and stared her in the eyes. Or angled his eyes upwards so if she looked at him their eyes would meet. He'd have to take what he could get in the eye contact department. I see you're still kicking around. he mewed, a gruff acknowledgment of the fact that she had, shockingly, survived this turbulent life just as long as he had. Have you managed to actually find some friends in your own clan, or are you still buddying up with Shadowclan cats? This was said more quietly, in case Dawnstar was listening. Or anyone, really. We're allies now, maybe you should just join us at this point. Was this whole spiel unnecessary and cruel? Absolutely. Was Shrewstep, much like he had with Fiercefire, enjoying the ability to spit a little vitriol at a cat who was familiar and easy to dislike? Also absolutely. Was he likely to stop anytime before the fighting began or Dawnstar looked ready to yell at him? Absolutely not.
__________________
All hail the Rat Queen's!!
Shrewstep has Silver Tongue and Mind Reader purrks
Pit has Just a Scratch and Beefed Up Tier 2
Hawkfur
WindClan Fury
he/him | 49 moons
[Russet tabby with tuxedo markings and sky blue eyes ] Purrks: Flock Together T3, Beefed Up T1
· · ────────────── · ·
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Dawnstar's hulking form made Hawkfur look like a mouse in comparison, but he held his head high as she sat nearby and waited for her cats to gather.
Soon enough, Twilightstar began heading out with her patrol, a cat named Lynxshade leading the ShadowClan patrol alongside her. He resisted the urge to stare holes into the back of the spotted feline's head, as if daring her to make one wrong move.
Though that now meant it was time for him to lead the others to Windy Hills. He spotted Dapplebreeze nearby, and having his lieutenant in the patrol was reassuring. He was relatively new to leading anything other than small patrols, and having a cat whom he trusted to remain collected with him was helpful.
"Alright!" Hawkfur's voice boomed out over the crowd. "I don't want anyone to get left behind in this fight. No one should be fighting alone. No matter what clan you belong to, if you see someone on their own, help them." He cast his icy blue gaze over the crowd. "Understood?" Once everyone acknowledged his words, he nodded firmly. "Let's move out!"
Hawkfur trotted towards their destination, a stiff wind buffeting the patrol. Even in Newleaf, the chill of the wind was impossible to ignore. The Windy Hills were even worse. Aptly named, the wind was like a battering ram that hit like invisible paws along his flank. The largest hill in the center of the cluster seemed rugged, like dozens of tiny feet had ripped it apart with hundreds of tiny claws. Discarded carcasses of rabbits and other prey were scattered in the valleys the three hills. Hawkfur paused at the top of the hill, turning to his patrol.
"We're here. Everyone get close, and listen up! That large hill in the center, that is where we believe the minks have settled in." He scored three circles in a barren patch of earth to represent the hills. "Our goal is to drive the minks out and fight them in the open. If we block off the valleys here--" he drew a line between the first and second hill, and another in between the second and third, "--we can prevent any of them from escaping."
Hawkfur looked up to the group. "I want us to split into three groups. Swiftfire [@Tiabirb], Blazesong [@blxze.], Deadmoon [@gs29513], Silverrose [@Estelle] and Adderpaw [@Katiethewolfchild], and Briarsplash [@SentimentalSquid]." He set his gaze on the ShadowClan warrior. "You will be in the left valley." He gestured to the dip between hills.
"Honeybite [@Abyssopelagic] and Goopypaw [@Poprock]--" odd name for an apprentice "--Shrewstep [@gs29513}, Dapplebreeze [@Alchemist Kitsune ], Watertail [@SeonghwasBunnyEars]. You plus myself will be heading to the top of the center hill and driving the minks down."
Hawkfur glanced towards Lightningstorm [@Alchemist Kitsune ] and her escorts. "You stay up here. Leechscar [@Undertaker] and--" he glanced around for Bearpelt [@Katiethewolfchild], but couldn't find them. With an angry flick of his tail, he jerked his head towards Iceclaw. "Iceclaw [@Starphobia]. You two are our runners. Help cats to her and Bravebird [@taillow], and keep an eye on everyone like Twilightstar said. If Lightningstorm tells you to do something, do it." He wouldn't trust a ShadowClan cat anywhere near Lightningstorm, so her runners would be WindClanners.
Finally, Hawkfur looked to Dawnstar. "As stated, I will be joining the group that will chase the minks from their burrows. Join whichever group you think needs you." He would have liked to be able to put more than two ShadowClan cats into each group, since he didn't want his more overeager clanmates to take advantage of their lack of backup. But with only six ShadowClan cats to work with, they would have to be split up. Dawnstar would probably wish to take the group with only one ShadowClan cat, if she thought like he did. Which was a terrifying thought, actually. With that, Hawkfur raised his voice again. "Go to your spots!"
[Hawkfur is going to give the signal and begin to drive the minks from the top hill down towards the valleys to the respective groups. The center group will merge into the others at this point. Then the fight ensues! Please remember that each cat should only be killing 1-3 minks!]
With everyone split up, Hawkfur thundered up the hill towards the top, small holes indicating entrances to the minks' lair. Once at the top, Hawkfur scanned his group. "When I say go, we all begin hitting the ground to scare them." It was a common hunting tactic to get prey out from burrows, mostly used when hunting rabbits. "They'll come streaming out into the ambush below. Split up to drive them down and help out the other groups." Stars, he hoped this worked.
"GO!"
Hawkfur yowled, the battle cry echoing over the hills and reached those waiting below. As many paws battering the earth, the minks inside the tunnels flooded towards the exit. Furiously they streaked towards the cats below and above, dark pelts rippling like furry sludge over the grass. Stars, there were so many of them! Hawkfur howled again, throwing himself down the hill towards several minks headed for the left valley.
Briarsplash sniffed once Hawkfur's gaze settled on her. She met it unflinchingly, ignoring the twinge of doubt in her stomach. He put her with all WindClan cats — was that on purpose? Did he mean to spite her, despite her being there to help? Sure, it made sense with how low their numbers were compared to the bunnies, but still... she couldn't help but feel targeted.
The scowl stayed on the large warrior's face as she padded over to her group, offering a stiff nod in greeting. She'd comply and be cordial — though it was perhaps clear she wasn't fond of being here on her own. The pressing thoughts of how easily they outnumbered her if they chose to turn repeatedly flashed across her mind. But one thing was clear in Briarsplash's: she wouldn't go down without a fight.
Maybe she was overthinking it. She certainly hoped so — she'd planned on tearing into minks, not WindClan bunnies, and Dawnstar wouldn't be too pleased if a fight broke out among them. The last thing she wanted was to test her position in the Clan; she'd already fought like hell to get it.
Focusing on Hawkfur's words and trying to ignore the gazes of the WindClanners who were probably staring at her, Briarsplash kept the instructions in her mind and followed along. She bounded down to the left valley with the others, purposefully avoiding eye contact with any of them if they tried. She followed Hawkfur's signal as he went. Three, two, one...
Her eyes slightly widened as the flow of minks rushed out like a torrential wave, their wriggly bodies streamlined as one. Yuck... those things are nastier than I thought, she mused while wrinkling her nose, their pungent odor striking her nostrils. And there were so many!
But the ShadowClan warrior refused to show any fear or doubt besides her initial reaction. She got into a battle-ready stance, long claws sliding out and her teeth bared. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as the stinking creatures neared, heart picking up speed with anticipation. Finally, they reached the group, her golden-green eyes meeting the dark, beady ones of the nearest mink. Then she leapt, her eager claws digging into its wettish fur.
/ Swiftfire [@Tiabirb], Blazesong [@blxze.], Deadmoon [@gs29513], Silverrose [@Estelle], Adderpaw [@Katiethewolfchild] -- and @Mica for Hawk mention + he's is coming down to the left valley ~ lmk if there's anything wrong here and i'll edit!
__________________
*despite everything, it's still you.
Berryshine is RiverClan's medicine cat!
she and Cobwebfern have a semi-closed den policy.
Re: Whac-A-Mink [WC/ShC]
Berryshine is RiverClan's medicine cat! 